Pizza 23

[Achilleslastand]

That pepperoni looks pretty damn good.

Yes it does....
Kinda remind me of a Jo's pepperoni pizza.

Btw.....does anyone know why Jo's at Hefner and Rockwell closed down?

[IBLEEDRIMSON]

Yes it does....
Kinda remind me of a Jo's pepperoni pizza.

Btw.....does anyone know why Jo's at Hefner and Rockwell closed down?

Pizza23 is owned and opporated by the same guy. See SSEiYah's post on the first page. Pizza23 did their soft open today so it shouldn't be long before I can try out Justin's new twist on a familiar quality product. There is great parking directly behind the store and I'm pretty sure it's going to have a good TV setup for watching ballgames. I love seeing this area of town become reborn but I hope someone is going to address the parking issues needed to support the new business.

[Pete]

Opening tonight (Friday 12/14) at 5PM.

[Soonerinfiniti]

The last time I was in that area Pizza23's rear parking lot was full of Big Truck Taco customers....

[soonerguru]

On Facebook, the people at Big Truck Tacos referred to the pizza as "pretty darn good." Is that a neighborly way of saying, "it pretty much sucks?" Hope not.

[kevinpate]

On Facebook, the people at Big Truck Tacos referred to the pizza as "pretty darn good." Is that a neighborly way of saying, "it pretty much sucks?" Hope not.

Nah, sounds earnest to me.
Lots of places are pretty darn good. If someone wanted to be neighborly but still say something ain't quite right, I'd be more inclined to expect something like referring to having hopes for them to become successful in time or note how they seem to be trying some rather different approaches as they start out.

[IBLEEDRIMSON]

On Facebook, the people at Big Truck Tacos referred to the pizza as "pretty darn good." Is that a neighborly way of saying, "it pretty much sucks?" Hope not.

If it was just "pretty good" then maybe but the "darn" makes me think it's good. I'd imagine that the people at Big Truck are foodies and reserve "amazing" "super duper" etc. for the truly totally amazing.

[SSEiYah]

We ate there tonight, right after it opened. It was busy. There were a couple open tables however they were still making us wait, (lack of wait staff?).

So the menu is pretty basic. They have 3 appetizers. We ordered the "Rumble Bread" ($4). It was hard to eat. It was heavily saturated with garlic and Parmesan and seemed way too salty. We ordered a Coop IPA and Mustang Wa****a Wheat. Both were $6.00 for normal pint glass. Mustang seemed a bit pricey at $6, as it is usually fairly cheap at other places. Coop is normally in the $5-$6 range which is fine with me, its good beer.

We ordered the meat lovers version of their pizza in large. Cost: $22. After seeing the price, I was hoping for something amazing. It was just "good", but not great. It was on a thin crust, crispy on the outside. Positive points for the crust, it is unique, you just have to try it. The toppings were very good as well. The sausage tasted great, quality and the other meats were good. It was greasy with grease dripping off as you are eating it. The topping to cheese to crust ratio is good. Still, I felt $22 was too much, $16 would be more like it.

Service was very good, waitress was a pro considering it was her first real day on the job.

Some other things to note. They have 3 or 4 50" TVs in the place. They were running analog signals to them "stretched" to widescreen so everything looks "fat". Come on now. It is 2012, almost 2013 and you are running analog TV signals in an "upscale" pizza joint. All that would be needed to make it high def is to dish out the extra $40 a month and invest in a cheap amplified HDMI splitter to run a 720P signal to each tv. Not really worth watching sports on them in the current state.

Acoustics are bad, we had to raise our voices to hear each other. It seems as if the low open ceilings amplify the noise around us.

So overall, our tab was $50 for one large pizza, Rumble Bread, three draft beers and a soft drink. If they reduced the food prices by about 20-30% all the way around it would be a regular spot for us. Beer prices are acceptable, well at least for the Coop Beers. They lacked Boulevard Wheat and Hoegaarden which was rather disappointing. They also only had 2 coop beers. If they added the Native Amber or the Zeppelin wheat that would be nice.

[blangtang]

Does this place offer by the slice or is it a whole pie or no pie kind of place?

[Chadanth]

I went last night too. It was pretty good, and I will go back, but it wasn't amazing. Try it, but give them time. Maybe they'll make some updates/adjustments.

[Teo9969]

Went yesterday for Lunch. It was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but I liked it as much as I've liked the Wedge at any point, though I think Upper Crust is still probably a better deal.

Main things they need to work on: Atmosphere. Certainly nothing wrong with the place, but it needs more decor. I didn't notice the acoustics thing mentioned earlier, but 1. we went at lunch and 2. we sat at the bar. Some Decor would help that, and maybe 2 or 3 booths.

If they can drop their price point $1/$2/$3 per pizza (with corresponding sizes), then I think it would be more inviting...I think that would be a good move to make in about 3 to 6 months when newness wears off and they want to boost numbers a bit. By then, they should have a better concept of how their food cost is going to run as well. Overall, I don't think it's a bad deal at all, and maybe rather than dropping menu prices, they run features and deals that bring bodies in the door.

Some of the good notes: The toppings are fresh and the crust is good. We had the wings, and the sauces don't really do it for me, but they are incredibly tender. That Patio is going to be AWESOME when it's nice outside, especially with the quality beer selections they have.

[Steve]

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

[BoulderSooner]

Went yesterday for Lunch. It was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but I liked it as much as I've liked the Wedge at any point, though I think Upper Crust is still probably a better deal.

Main things they need to work on: Atmosphere. Certainly nothing wrong with the place, but it needs more decor. I didn't notice the acoustics thing mentioned earlier, but 1. we went at lunch and 2. we sat at the bar. Some Decor would help that, and maybe 2 or 3 booths.

If they can drop their price point $1/$2/$3 per pizza (with corresponding sizes), then I think it would be more inviting...I think that would be a good move to make in about 3 to 6 months when newness wears off and they want to boost numbers a bit. By then, they should have a better concept of how their food cost is going to run as well. Overall, I don't think it's a bad deal at all, and maybe rather than dropping menu prices, they run features and deals that bring bodies in the door.

Some of the good notes: The toppings are fresh and the crust is good. We had the wings, and the sauces don't really do it for me, but they are incredibly tender. That Patio is going to be AWESOME when it's nice outside, especially with the quality beer selections they have.

thanks for the review i look forward to trying it

[Teo9969]

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

That being said (in both of our reviews)...I don't necessarily think they made a mistake opening the way they did. I think finding out who their clientele is and tailoring what they do atmospherically has the chance to be a really good thing.

[JayhawkTransplant]

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

I was there last night, too!

We had the rumble bread and the chicken alfredo pizza. The rumble bread was pretty good...my boyfriend and I did not care for the pizza. The chicken on it seemed to be the low-quality strips of chicken that you can get in a deli section of a grocery store. However, I'd be willing to try again...the crust seemed good, and I love salads, so I'll take Steve's recommendation and try one next time. We'll just try a pepperoni pizza or something else.

For the record, for one soda, one water, a large pizza, and rumble bread, our tab was $26.

Blangtang, I don't think they do pizza by the slice.

[BoulderSooner]

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

come on steve ... i don't think anyone was comparing it to little ceasars ...

i went last night and it was very good pizza and the chop salad was also tasty ... however it is clearly a bit overpriced .. 22 bucks for an Italian pizza is about 4 bucks to much Large chop salad is 8 it should be 6 or 7 Upper crust is very much the same quality and size for less money

now if they add rotating specials the prices might be ok .. but if choosing on a monday or tuesday night between Upper Crust (25 dollars for pizza and a bottle of wine) or Pizza 23 I would choose UpperCrust every time ..

last night was a Pizza a large salad and 2 beers for 2 people our total with tip was over 50 dollars with a keep it local card .. the same order at UpperCrust would have been 7-10 dollars less

[soonerguru]

For that kind of coin I would expect artisan wood-fired pizza with delicate and delectable toppings. Oh well.

[IBLEEDRIMSON]

For that kind of coin I would expect artisan wood-fired pizza with delicate and delectable toppings. Oh well.

That's what I love about food and especially pizza places. Nobody agrees..lol

For that kind of coin I'd expect a pizza that would be hearty enough and made of good enough ingredients that I could eat it cold for breakfast the next day and lunch too. That's what I like about Pizza23 and the other more hearty pizza places. Nobody is wrong on the great pizza debate.

[sroberts24]

I love Pizza 23... been there 5 times now, will be back on Thursday. It is better than Upper Crust is now, Upper Crust was pretty awesome when the opened. But the same with Pizza 23, I put it up there with Joey's as my fav 2 in OKC. The crust is awesome, like a pie. So good! IMHO

[metro]

ATMOSPHERE: 3 OUT OF 5 STARS. Bland, but it didn't really bother me that much. I appreciated the retro photos on the east wall. TV placement is just stupid, especially not having one at the bar area of all places. I hope they don't soften the place up too much and make it cheesy.

PRICE: 2 STARS As others posted, I think it's too much for what it is, I'd drop price by $4-$5 to stay competitive long-term. They also need a pizza buy the slice option for lunch.

FOOD: 3.5 STARS. While good and better than take out/ to-go options, compared to Wedge/Upper Crust it is not near as good. I will give them props on creativeness for some of the custom pies, however taste is just not there for the money IMO. Still good pie, but for this style of pie, you can get better options cheaper, and this isn't a place you're paying extra for the "ambiance". Management needs to figure out a value proposition, as nothing about this place is unique to the market.

MANAGEMENT: While I can't give a fair rating here, on opening night I found it rather odd the manager/owner would selectively pick who he talked to. Also I noticed the wait staff placed people in rather odd seating fashion. We had our toddler daughter with us, and they placed us in the corner at a small table near 2 other families with kids, and the tables and chairs were too close together and we kept bumping into each other, meanwhile half the restaurant was empty and they put another couple with kids in the middle of the restaurant. I get that sometimes you want families with kids in one section of the restaurant, but it was more inconvenient for the entire restaurant the way they sat people. Waitstaff hasn't been very knowledgeable or willing to help answer questions about the menu either. Based on my experience, I'd give management 1-2 STARS

LOCATION: 5 STARS, Cheers to the Uptown revival!

I will definitely be back, as I love supporting the local hip places, and the food is pretty good, but hope they work to fix price and management issues.

[OSUPeterson]

We went there a little after it opened and I agree with everyone pretty much. Way too expensive and the staff seem way to confused. They did not know how to take my keep it local discount off, so they accidentally took too much, buy an extra 3 bucks, and made it a big deal that they come back and get the difference.

Really? When you make a mistake because your staff can't properly run the register, that's your fault. Don't take that out on the customers right after you open. It was only 3 bucks, but it just seemed really awkward for them to come back and want the difference.

Ill probably go back at some point (especially when you can sit on the patio), but every other pizza joint makes just as good of a pizza if not better, with a better atmosphere, more intelligent staff and at a better price. Hopefully this place will grow over the next 6 months. They will have more competition with the pizza place going in plaza, so maybe that will get them to get their act together.

[MonkeesFan]

I love Pizza 23... been there 5 times now, will be back on Thursday. It is better than Upper Crust is now, Upper Crust was pretty awesome when the opened. But the same with Pizza 23, I put it up there with Joey's as my fav 2 in OKC. The crust is awesome, like a pie. So good! IMHO

You are going to get a heart attack if you keep going back

[MonkeesFan]

I doubt it is better than Godfather's and Mazzio's Pizza but I will give it a shot this weekend

[catch22]

I ate there last night. Great pizza, and a great setting. One thing I didn't particularly like was the placement of the TV's. Sitting at the bar, you had to turn your head 90 degrees to see a TV. Or if you were in one end of the bar, you'd have to completely turn around.

It was fantastic though, I will be back for sure.

[Jettmiester]

I'll be sure to try this place out, but...Papa Angelo's in Bethany has the pizza to beat. Best pizza I ever ate in Oklahoma...so far.